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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946210">Don't Trust The Manwh*re On The 41st Floor</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusty_Bussy/pseuds/Dusty_Bussy'>Dusty_Bussy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Billionaire, Bottom Jeon Wonwoo, Business, CEO, Comedy, Dom Kim Mingyu, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Jeon Wonwoo &amp; Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi are Best Friends, Jeon Wonwoo is Kim Mingyu's assistant, Jeon Wonwoo is a mess, Jeon Wonwoo-centric, Kim Mingyu is Whipped, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi is a Good Friend, Light Angst, M/M, Mingyu is lowkey an asshole, Mingyu loves teasing Wonwoo, Non-Graphic Violence, Possessive Kim Mingyu, Rich Kim Mingyu, Romance, Sexual Tension, Sorry about the title but I thought it was funny and it rhymed, Top Kim Mingyu, Wonwoo keeps embarrassing himself, i'll add more later</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:28:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,781</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusty_Bussy/pseuds/Dusty_Bussy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Fresh out of university, Jeon Wonwoo reluctantly enters the workforce as Kim Mingyu's personal assistant at Zenco, a multi-billion dollar industrial conglomerate. Unbeknownst to Wonwoo, however, Mr. Kim could be a bit... unorthodox at times.<br/>With his father's politcal career on the line, Wonwoo struggles to navigate through his boss' eccentric behaviour and deal with his own conflicting emotions, all while uncovering a much deeper conspiracy...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. An Unfortunate Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Appearance is everything— that is something that Jeon Wonwoo knew all too well. Psychologists have hypothesized that it only takes one tenth of a second to form an opinion about someone; in other words, a person will judge your entire character and reach all the necessary conclusions in the blink of an eye. The way you carry yourself will determine how society treats you, and this means that people will take advantage of even the smallest sign of weakness. The world is ruthless, and in such a world, a crooked tie can make you appear gullible, untied shoelaces can make you seem careless, and unkempt facial hair can label you unreliable. People can form opinions before even meeting you, meaning that being punctual and exact can be the difference between a beneficial agreement, and the whole deal falling through. If there was one thing that Jeon Wonwoo was conditioned to know— it’s that first impressions matter.</p><p>“What if I spill my coffee all over him?” Wonwoo asked, bouncing his leg. “Or what if I don’t bow down low enough? O-Or I mess up the filing system? God, my dad is going to kill me.”</p><p>“Well for starters, how about you don’t bring any coffee,” Soonyoung suggested while sliding the disposable paper cup away from Wonwoo. “And maybe stop vibrating your leg too.”</p><p>Soonyoung tried to stop the shaking by placing his hand on Wonwoo’s leg, pushing on the sharp crease of his dark-blue dress pants. Wonwoo looked out the big glass windows of the coffee shop, fiddling with his thumbs while hunched over the table. Soonyoung sighed and removed his hand, tapping on his phone screen to check the time. Strangers would often find themselves staring at him, usually because of his outrageous hair or eye-catching outfits; the ashy blond hair and layered clothing was tame in comparison to his usual getup. His appearance was wild, but always calculated and with a purpose. It was only fitting for an idol, after all. Soonyoung’s father owned an entertainment company, and after years of training he finally debuted with a few other fellow trainees. They had known each other since they were both kids, and even though Soonyoung was younger, he would often take care of Wonwoo when he felt overwhelmed or anxious.</p><p>“Look. It’ll be fine, I promise. You won’t do anything stupid, and you’d have to try really hard to mess it up in any meaningful capacity,” he tried to reassure him, except he didn’t look reassured at all.</p><p>“You know that I have a knack for fucking up important things.” Wonwoo sniffled.</p><p>“Then why don’t you just pretend that this isn’t important? Can’t you trick your brain into not fucking up that way?” He said as a joke. Mostly as a joke.</p><p>“I don’t think I can trick myself into not being a total failure.”</p><p>Soonyoung rolled his eyes, smiling at the absolute wreck that was in front of him. He didn’t hesitate to wave his hand in front of Wonwoo’s face and give him a quick slap, snapping him back to reality.</p><p>“How are you a failure? You graduated top of your class and landed yourself a sweet job a few weeks after graduating. Cut yourself some slack.”</p><p>The words coming out of Soonyoung’s mouth weren’t wrong, but they didn’t tell the whole story. While it was true that Wonwoo recently graduated top of his class from Seoul National University of Law, he did not land himself the ‘sweet job’. It was all thanks to his father, Jeon Bon-Hwa, that he was hired to work at Zenco Incorporated, though it’s not like he had any say in the matter. Assemblyman Bon-Hwa was working hard to be reelected, and having his first-born work at an industrial conglomerate with billions in assets certainly helped his image. He and the CEO of Zenco had been golfing buddies for years, so it was no surprise that he got his son a job, even if it was far removed from Wonwoo’s law degree. He wasn’t exactly proud of the outright nepotism of it all, but the paycheck definitely helped smooth over the moral objections he had.</p><p>“I can’t do anything wrong or I’ll hurt my dad’s campaign,” he said, slamming his head onto the table. “Oh god, I’m so nervous I might throw up.”</p><p>“Please don’t throw up, or, at least not in my direction.”</p><p>“Haha. I hate you,” Wonwoo’s exasperated voice made it seem like he messed everything up before even starting at his new job.</p><p>“Calm down, just be a good assistant. Y’know, copy the documents, schedule the appointments, get the coffee, blah blah blah. You’ve been through way worse,” Soonyoung’s smile was comforting to a panicked Wonwoo. It felt like a warm hug and a hot cocoa and a cozy blanket fresh out of the dryer on a cold winter day. “I’ve got to go to the shoot now, but I’ll be expecting a call from you later to hear all about how it went.” He stood and picked his phone up from the table, before giving him one last smile and leaving the café.</p><p>Wonwoo laid his head on the table and turned towards the window, using his arms as a cushion. Maybe Soonyoung was right. It couldn’t be <em>that</em> bad, right? He was probably just building it up in his head and psyching himself out for no reason. He glanced over at the glass skyscraper across the street, tracing the letters written on the building with his eyes. Zenco, huh? It was a great opportunity, even if he was just going to be the assistant of some higher-up at the company. He probably wouldn’t have to do much beyond basic tasks, like picking up some dry cleaning or taking calls and organizing meetings. Wonwoo didn’t like to think highly of himself, but these tasks really were beneath his skillset. He took a deep breath, almost as if someone had told him that all the air in the world was going to disappear— as if it was the last breath he was going to breathe. He checked his watch, and it was time for him to start heading to work. After one final sigh, Wonwoo stood up and made sure to throw his cup into the garbage can and clean up after himself. He thanked the worker with a subtle nod before leaving the café and crossed the road with a purposeful stride.</p><p>The building was massive, bigger than Wonwoo had ever imagined. The marble flooring acted like a mirror, reflecting the busy movement of all the employees moving around. There were several security guards, both inside and outside, wearing black suits and earpieces; their dark sunglasses made them look intimidating to say the least. The two black reception desks contrasted with the white— almost clinical— environment of the main entrance. A woman by the name of Moon Ga-Young greeted Wonwoo with a smile and gave him an employee card, allowing him to enter certain offices and rooms throughout the building. She wore her mahogany hair in a low bun coiffed to perfection. Judging from its shine she must’ve taken good care of it, only using high-end shampoos and conditioners— she seemed to be the meticulous type. Wonwoo headed to the escalator after scanning his employee card by the turnstiles, looking around the interior. Almost every wall was made of glass, letting the July sunshine light up the whole building. The crisp air felt refreshing to him, and when he was nearing the top of the escalator, the realization was finally hitting him. He was going to start a new life working at a Fortune-500, and he would come here everyday, just like every other employee. It was foreign to him and different from anything he’d done his entire life. Wonwoo found it daunting, but at the same time he felt a pleasant tingle in his stomach. Somewhere deep down he was excited, even if it failed to translate to the surface.</p><p>Wonwoo stood in front of the elevators and reluctantly pressed on the button. Since he was going to be a personal assistant, he wasn’t on the main floors with all the other office workers. It worried him a little that he wouldn’t be able to mingle with coworkers, but he figured that he’d have time to meet other employees during his lunch break. Another man approached the elevators, and he turned to greet him with a bow. The man was about Wonwoo’s height, had broad shoulders, and held a briefcase in hand. He had a striking face with unique features, the perfect balance of masculine and feminine attributes. He looked like the type that Wonwoo would swoon over back in high school, which definitely wasn’t a bad thing. Wonwoo heard the chime of the elevator before the doors opened and gestured for the man to enter first, walking in after him.</p><p>“What floor are you headed to, sir?” Wonwoo asked politely, he wasn’t going to make a fool of himself on the first day.</p><p>“The 34<sup>th</sup> floor, thank you.” The man had a melodic and warm voice that Wonwoo could tell was nice to listen to. He pressed the button for the 34<sup>th</sup> and 41<sup>st</sup> floor respectively, taking a step back from the button panel.</p><p>“What brings you to the 41<sup>st</sup> floor? I haven’t seen you around here before,” the man asked him. Wonwoo’s eyes opened in shock for a moment, realizing that he had forgotten to introduce himself. A minor mistake, but nevertheless, a mistake.</p><p>“I’m Jeon Wonwoo! Today is my first day, I look forward to working with you!” Wonwoo turned to face the man and bowed down as he introduced himself.</p><p>“Choi Seung Cheol, nice to meet you.” Even his name was beautiful and unique.</p><p>“Likewise! What department are you in, Mr. Choi?” He smiled at him.</p><p>“Finance,” Seung Cheol started. “Aren’t new hires usually on the main floor?”</p><p>“Oh, I’m working as a personal assistant. They told me to come up directly,” he explained.</p><p>“I see. Who are you working for?”</p><p>“Kim Mingyu!”</p><p>All of a sudden, the very plain expression on Seung Cheol’s face twisted into something resembling amusement. He let out a slight chuckle and looked away from him. Wonwoo was a bit confused about the reaction, did he say something wrong?</p><p>“Did I say something funny?” Wonwoo smiled at him curiously. Just as Seung Cheol opened his mouth to say something, he was cut off by the elevator bell.</p><p>“No, nothing. But good luck with that.” He laughed quietly and left the elevator. Wonwoo was a bit more than confused now. The words he said were technically caring, so why did it sound like he was mocking him? He glanced at the mirror, checking if anything in his appearance warranted that response, but his tie wasn’t crooked, and his hair wasn’t messy. Weird, maybe it was an inside joke he didn’t understand yet, so he didn’t pay it much attention and shrugged it off.</p><p>The 41<sup>st</sup> floor followed a similar color scheme as the main entrance, sporting a clean and modern design. Moon Ga-Young had told Wonwoo to walk down the hallway and turn at the first left to find his desk. Unlike the main floor that was bustling with people, this place felt derelict. Every step he took echoed against the mostly bare walls; the empty office signs next to the doors were the closest thing to decorations, save a few minimalist paintings. This must’ve been a newly built floor that still hadn’t been occupied yet, he thought.</p><p>Once he arrived, he saw a desk in front of the big double doors with a sign reading ‘Kim Mingyu’. There was a red light shining under the sign, meaning that he was currently in a meeting— he’d wait to introduce himself after it was over. Wonwoo looked at the full-length windows; the view was amazing, and it was right next to his own desk. He smiled and walked closer to get a better look of the city. Seoul was a busy city, and walking down the streets among the crowd made it easy to forget just how beautiful of a place it could be. The view must’ve been even more stunning at night, he thought. Suddenly, working late for some snobby rich guy didn’t seem all that bad.</p><p>The receptionist-style desk had a double monitor set-up, with a few office supplies spread out on the dark oak surface. Wonwoo sat down on the office chair, noticing how stiff and fresh the leather upholstery was. He set his bag down on the table and typed in his employee ID to access the computer. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do until his boss was done, so he decided to message Soonyoung that he hadn’t spontaneously combusted just yet. Wonwoo was smiling at his phone when he heard someone approaching the desk. It was a good-looking 20-something man. He was tall— taller than Mr. Choi from earlier— and had medium tan skin. His eyes seemed tired and his face was slightly puffy, as if he hadn’t slept properly. He was wearing flashy purple dress pants, and his wrinkly white button up wasn’t tucked in. There was something sparkling on his face when the light was caught in it, and his dark hair was messy. It looked like this guy had been partying somewhere in Gangnam all night. Wonwoo couldn't help but wonder how this man had entered the building.</p><p>“Can I help you, sir?</p><p>“Who are you supposed to be?” The man asked demandingly.</p><p>“I’m Jeon Wonwoo.”</p><p>“Jeon Wonwoo huh…” The way he said his name made Wonwoo uncomfortable, it felt way too intimate and personal. The man rested his elbow on the tall part of the desk, staring intensely at Wonwoo. “And what might you be doing here, Jeon Wonwoo?”</p><p>“I’m Mr. Kim’s assistant,” he answered. This guy was trying to intimidate him, but Wonwoo refused to be treated so belittlingly. The man scoffed and smiled, like he just had a realization. He stood up straight and started walking towards the office door.</p><p>“Sir, if you would like to speak to Mr. Kim you need to schedule an appointment,” he interjected. The man stopped for a second, and Wonwoo hoped that he would turn around and leave, but he started walking again. This was bad, if he didn’t stop him then Mr. Kim would be bothered in the middle of his meeting. How was he supposed to recover from that kind of first impression? He had to do something, but clearly this brazen guy wouldn’t listen to reason.</p><p>“Sir if you don’t step away from the door, I’ll be forced to call security.” He exclaimed as he stood up from the chair. What was he saying? Was he insane? He didn’t even know how to contact security in the first place. Did he even have the authority to do that? An eerie silence lingered in the air that Wonwoo didn’t know how to break.</p><p>“…What…?” The man stopped abruptly and turned around to face him slowly. Wonwoo wanted to say something but he was frozen in place. God, why did he have resort to empty threats? He was surely going to be exposed once the man realized that he couldn’t actually call security. Wonwoo gulped nervously in response, he hated how weak he appeared in front of him.</p><p>“Y-You heard me! Please leave the building or security will have you removed.” Shit, why did he have to stutter? He was just digging his hole even deeper by saying that. The man was silent, and his blank stare was uncomfortable. Wonwoo was forced to look away briefly— it was too intense to keep looking at him. Suddenly the man started laughing, pressing his tongue against his cheek. Why was he so amused? Clearly the man enjoyed torturing him for some reason. He started walking towards Wonwoo, digging in the pocket of his pants looking for something. Wonwoo took a step back. What was he going to pull out, a gun? No, that wouldn’t fit in a pocket. Maybe it was a knife, and Wonwoo was moments away from being stabbed to death on his first day at work.</p><p>“Sir I-” Wonwoo was cut off by the man throwing something onto the desk. He looked down—it was a card. It looked oddly familiar, like he had just seen it moments earlier. The man nodded at the desk, gesturing for him to take it. Wonwoo hesitatingly complied, looking at the man whilst picking it up. It was only once he looked down to investigate the card more closely, that he regretted everything. Just like the one Ga-Young had given him, it was an employee card with a picture of the man on it. This wasn’t looking good, he was an employee at Zenco. Did he just piss off an executive? No, it couldn’t be. Maybe it was a janitor, or someone lower down on the ladder than Wonwoo was. He looked down at the card again, and there was only one name that he couldn’t allow to be printed on the card—any name but that one. Wonwoo wasn’t religious, but suddenly he was praying to every God and Goddess he knew of. He reluctantly read the name before shifting his gaze back to the smug man.</p><p>‘Kim Mingyu’.</p><p>It was at that moment that Wonwoo really wished he had been stabbed to death instead.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wonwoo is a mess. mood.</p><p>Hey y'all, I hope you guys liked this, sorry that this first chapter is so short, I'll write them longer in the future!.<br/>Please leave a kudos, bookmark, or even a comment if you enjoyed it, so I know if I should keep going! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Caught Off Guard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Woah woah woah, slow down dude! Let me get this straight— some guy tried to enter your boss’ office.”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“And then you threatened to call security on him,”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>“But that guy actually turned out to be your boss…?”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“Holy fuck,” Soonyoung was trying to hold back his laughter on the phone, but he was failing spectacularly. “You really do have a knack for fucking things up, huh?”</p><p>“You think I don’t fucking know that! Dude what the hell should I do?” Wonwoo’s voice was bordering whiny, but all things considered— it was fair.</p><p>“And it’s not even 9 a.m. yet, oh God,” he pointed out. “Did you apologize to him?”</p><p>“Of course I did! My back hurts from bowing so low,” he complained while trying to rush past the crowded streets.</p><p>“I’m so sorry for laughing,” Soonyoung failed to contain himself and snickered.</p><p>“And yet you’re still laughing.”</p><p>“My bad,” he paused. “But how didn’t you recognize him? Shouldn’t knowing who your boss is be a given?</p><p>“I didn’t know what he looked like, it’s not like they gave me a photo of him with ‘YOUR BOSS’ written in bold,” Wonwoo explained. “Plus, he looked like a fucking pimp! He reeked of alcohol, so I thought he was just some drunk guy who stumbled into the building.”</p><p>“How could he show up to work like that?” Soonyoung asked.</p><p>“I think he spent the night at a strip club or something.”</p><p>“Really? How old is this guy, yikes.”</p><p>“He’s 24, I think.”</p><p>“He’s only a year older than us?” Soonyoung’s voice raised in surprise. “Did he accept your apology at least?”</p><p>“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Wonwoo sounded riddled with frustration. “He just told me to go and get him his dry cleaning from around the corner.”</p><p>“No wonder you sound so winded. Well, he doesn’t seem super upset by it, so maybe this is fixable?”</p><p>“I really hope so,” Wonwoo said and paused. “I can’t get fired on my first-day…”</p><p>“You won’t be. You would’ve already been fired by now if that was the case.” Soonyoung was as encouraging as always, even if he was amused by Wonwoo’s misfortune. “They’re signaling for me to go, I’m sorry.”</p><p>“No it’s fine, get back to your shoot.” He was back in front of Zenco’s building, looking up at the glass giant. “This is my mess to clean up.”</p><p>“You got this, Wonwoo. Good luck!” Wonwoo heard the end tone of the phone call and took a deep breath before entering the building.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me, Mr. Kim.” Wonwoo knocked on the office door but didn’t get a reply. “Hello, sir?”</p><p>He knocked again. He pressed his ear against the door, but only heard a faint staticky sound, something resembling white noise. Wonwoo opened the door and peeked into the office. It was decorated with dark wood furniture, with burgundy and gold accents. He took a step inside while looking around, but no one was there. In the right corner of the room was a door left ajar, and it seemed like that’s where the noise was coming from. It sounded like running water— was he showering at work? What kind of office has a private bathroom with a shower? Wonwoo went to lay the garment bag on one of the leather chairs across the desk. He was about to leave the office, but noticed there were a couple bookshelves lining the wall. It had to be at least a few hundred books, making Wonwoo’s own collection seem like a joke. Against his better judgement, he took a few steps closer, skimming through the titles. Leo Tolstoy, James Joyce, Anton Chekov…? There was no way that guy was reading these types of books— they must’ve been decorative. He reached for one of the books, ‘War and Peace’, and much to his surprise, it wasn’t a hollow case.</p><p>Wonwoo noticed the water stopped running suddenly, only hearing the sound of sparse water drops striking the floor. Shit, why did he have to be nosy? He haphazardly returned the book to the shelf, and rushed to leave the office. Just as he was about to go through the door, he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.</p><p>“What are you doing?” He asked. Fuck. This was it, the moment Jeon Wonwoo gets fired. Not only did he threaten to call security on his boss, but he also entered his office without permission, less than an hour later; he didn’t know how he was going to get out of this one. Wonwoo could already hear the scolding he was going to get from his father. He turned around smiling, trying to think of a what to say, but instead his mind quickly turned blank and his eyes opened in shock. Mr. Kim was standing by the bathroom door, fresh out of the shower. He was more muscular than Wonwoo had imagined, and the water dripping down his body followed the contours of his toned build. Mingyu’s tanned body was almost glowing, and Wonwoo was left in a quiet daze; from his wet hair to his attractive face and athletic body, he couldn’t help but stare. Mr. Kim only had a towel wrapped around his waist— correction, a <em>small</em> towel that left little to the imagination. Mingyu noticed the silence and smirked, glancing down at his body and then back up at Wonwoo.</p><p>“Did you just come in here to ogle?” He asked, snapping Wonwoo back into reality.</p><p>“Oh, uh, no! O-Of course not.” Shit, he didn’t notice him staring, did he? “I-I came to give you the dry cleaning you asked for.”</p><p>“Then give it to me.”</p><p>“I put it down over there, sir.” Mingyu looked over at the garment bag he was pointing to and put his hand out, as if he were expecting it to be handed to him. Did Mr. Kim actually want him to get something that was just a few steps away? Wonwoo laughed, surely he was just joking. His laughter awkwardly trailed off into silence, when he realized that he was in fact, not, joking.</p><p>“Oh… Were you serious?” He asked nervously, and Mingyu nodded at his open palm with an impatient expression. Wonwoo smiled hesitatingly and went to pick up the garment bag. God, why did it have to be so awkward? He really wished that the atmosphere was less tense, it felt suffocating to just be around Mr. Kim.</p><p>“I’ll be off then…” Wonwoo handed him the dry cleaning and smiled awkwardly; Mingyu’s stare was burning holes in his face. He turned around and headed for the door, trying to escape the uncomfortable situation. Wonwoo suddenly picked up the pace when he heard the sound of a towel dropping to the ground. He dashed to exit the room and slammed the door shut.</p><p>Did he just start changing before Wonwoo even left the room? He sank into his office chair, curling up into a ball and trying to become as small as possible. Why was this day so remarkably horrible? How evil was he in his past life to deserve this torture? Wonwoo wished that he didn’t go up to that bookshelf, almost as much as he wished that he hadn’t threatened to call security on his own boss. He should’ve just minded his business and left the office— that way he could’ve avoided that godawful interaction. Wonwoo sighed loudly and threw his head back on the headrest of the chair. It wasn’t only his fault though— Mr. Kim was acting weird too. Why didn’t he just tell him who he was earlier; was he testing him? Did he hold some kind of baseless grudge against Wonwoo? Or maybe that was just his thing and he liked toying with people? That would’ve explained Mr. Choi’s reaction in the elevator that morning; he acted like working for Mr. Kim would be a comical experience (not that he was far off though). Wonwoo reached the conclusion that his boss must’ve been completely insane. Yeah, that made sense; maybe quitting before it got even worse was the way to go. It was already uncomfortable enough to stop Mr. Kim from entering his own office, but to stand in front of his half-naked boss, with his intense stare and firm chest and bulging abs and— Wonwoo was sidetracking. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what else was in store for him that day. Just as he reached for his phone to report his latest traumatic experience to Soonyoung, the office door opened. Wonwoo sprung up from his seat and turned to face Mr. Kim.</p><p>“Good Morning, sir!” He exclaimed and bowed down, maybe he could just pretend like nothing happened.</p><p>“You’re still here.” He commented. Wonwoo’s face turned pale— what was that even supposed to mean?</p><p>“Yes, of course Mr. Kim.” He didn’t like this guy, but he couldn’t afford to mess up again. “Do you need anything, sir?”</p><p>“Why? Are you hoping to barge into my office again?”</p><p>“I-I apologize! I didn’t mean to intrude, sir.” Wonwoo was caught off guard, was he always so blunt? “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot!”</p><p>“How old are you?”</p><p>“…Huh? I-I’m 23, sir…”</p><p>“Strange. They’re usually a lot older than you.”</p><p>“What?” Wonwoo looked confused, what was Mr. Kim talking about?</p><p>“I have some business to attend to.” He adjusted his cufflinks and threw a dirty look at him. Wonwoo opened his mouth, but Mingyu left before he even had the chance to ask where he was headed. The sounds of his dress shoes on the marble floor echoed as he walked away; what the hell was his problem? Wonwoo sat back down by his desk, fingertips pressing on his temples. He knew that working was going to be stressful, but this guy was moments away from giving him an aneurism. Wonwoo dug in his bag, looking for some relief from the stress-induced headache forming behind his eyes. He took an ibuprofen and downed it with a sip of water, leaning back on the headrest. He closed his eyes, thinking about where Mr. Kim was going so suddenly. Wonwoo opened his computer, tapping on the keys and accessing his account. He remembered Ga-Young mentioning something about linked calendars, maybe he could check where he was going since he didn’t tell him. His eyes skimmed the screen, clicking on today’s date once he found it. There was a time slot set from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. without a title or a location. Of course he wouldn’t label it, because why would he make Wonwoo’s life easier? Mr. Kim didn’t assign him any tasks, nor was there anything on the calendar to do. He sighed at the thought of working as Mr. Kim’s assistant for another three months, was he going to make it out sane? Would he keep flustering and dismissing Wonwoo? He shook his head, trying to clear his mind from overthinking. He decided to pull out the book he’d been trying to finish for the past year, ‘Odysseus’, and started reading.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Once the clock struck 12, Wonwoo decided to go down to the cafeteria for his lunch break. It had been almost three hours, and still not a word from his boss. He didn’t feel right sitting idle for so long on his first day, but it wasn’t like Mr. Kim actually asked him to do anything. Wonwoo was hoping to find someone at Zenco who could help him understand Mr. Kim, but his expectations weren’t very high. The elevator doors opened to the main floor with a chime, and he nodded to the people who entered as he stepped out. The atmosphere of the main floor was the direct opposite to the 41<sup>st</sup> floor. Here, people were running around with bundles of papers flying all across the office, chatting, working, and stressing all while trying to do their jobs. Wonwoo felt a little guilty, his job seemed to pale in comparison when it came to the work-aspect of it all— though he certainly had them beat when it came to embarrassment. He walked past the glass walls and countless cubicles, seemingly invisible to the other employees; he didn’t blame them though, they seemed to be preoccupied with their work.</p><p>Wonwoo took the escalator to the ground floor and smiled at Ga-Young on his way to the cafeteria. It was opposite to the entrance, in a big open-space with a couple dozen lunch tables. He went to the vending machine, thinking about whether he should get rice or noodles with the main dish. He scanned his employee card and waited for the ticket to print, before going over to the kitchen staff. Once he received his tray, he looked around at the tables. He knew he should try to socialize, but he was unsure of how they’d treat him once they found out that he’s Mr. Kim’s assistant. In the end, Wonwoo opted for an empty table. The noodles were a bit cold, but he couldn’t complain. Wonwoo was never that good of a cook, he’d even managed to burn his instant noodles more times than he’d like to admit. His mom would often nag him about it, saying that every respectable adult should be able to cook for themselves. It wasn’t like he disagreed with her, but the stove would never cooperate when he tried to cook. There was a counter beside the kitchen, with microwaves and coffee machines. He saw some employees heating up their Tupperware; maybe he should try to cook his own food someday, he thought.</p><p>Wonwoo was lost in his thoughts, but snapped back to reality when two employees sat down in front of him. They both had massive smiles slapped on their faces, and they were staring right at him.</p><p>“Hi!” They both exclaimed in freakish unison.</p><p>Wonwoo was a bit confused, but they seemed nice enough. “H-Hello, I’m Jeon Wonwoo, it’s nice to meet you.”</p><p>“No need to be so formal with us, we’re probably the same age!” The one on the right said. When Wonwoo heard her voice by itself, he couldn’t help but smile. It had a sweet tone, with a slight nasality. It matched her appearance perfectly— she looked straight out of a TV drama. Her features were perfectly balanced: big eyes, cute nose, and plump lips. She was wearing a yellow blouse with a frilly collar, and had her brown hair in a half-up-half-down do. Wonwoo didn’t usually pay much attention to women, but she was almost excessively beautiful.</p><p>“My name is Sana,” she said and smiled.</p><p>“And I’m Minghao!” The other employee announced. He had sharp features with a soft nose, working together to create a very unique face— the type you would see walk down a runway at an Avant Garde fashion show. He had pitch-black hair cut into a shaggy mullet, and he wore a turtleneck with high-waisted pants. For working at Zenco they seemed to be dressed pretty freely, quite different from Wonwoo’s navy suit.</p><p>“It’s your first day today, right?” Minghao asked.</p><p>Wonwoo nodded. “Yeah, it is.”</p><p>“So how is it to work for Mr. Kim!?” Sana suddenly blurted out.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You’re his assistant, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh… Yeah.” He was caught off guard yet again; it seemed to be a common theme for the day. “How did you…?”</p><p>“Everyone’s talking about you,” she said. What? Why would they be talking about him? Did Mr. Kim tell everyone what happened? Shit, how was he going to work there if everyone’s talking about it?</p><p>“Why would people be talking about me?” He asked reluctantly.</p><p>“Cause’ they feel bad for you.” Sana explained. Minghao nudged her with his elbow, and Wonwoo was left more confused than before.</p><p>She gave him a questioning look and turned back to Wonwoo. “Mr. Kim kind of has a reputation for being… Eccentric?” Suddenly things started clicking for him, and it felt like the cogs were turning in his head.</p><p>“Wait!” He exclaimed, a tad <em>too</em> loud. “What do you mean with ‘eccentric’?”</p><p>“He’s sort of known for-” Sana started, but was quickly interrupted by Minghao. “Burning through assistants.”</p><p>“Burning through assistants…?”</p><p>“Yeah, we don’t really get it either,” Minghao began to say. “We haven’t seen anyone last longer than three days before quitting.”</p><p>That was it? Just three days? Wonwoo’s muddled mind began to connect the dots; things were starting to make sense. This explained Mr. Kim’s behavior that morning, he was totally unprofessional and patronizing— and it definitely made Wonwoo want to quit. His puzzled face prompted Sana to explain what they meant.</p><p>“Mr. Kim’s known for treating his assistants like shit. He does it so often he must be enjoying it or something.”</p><p>“But why?” Wonwoo asked.</p><p>Minghao raised his shoulders and shook his head. “That’s the thing, no one knows why the bastard does it.” This time it was Sana who nudged Minghao with her elbow.</p><p>“What? I don’t care what anyone says, that guy is definitely unhinged.” He said.</p><p>“Well say it more quietly! What if someone tells the CEO?” Sana warned him.</p><p>Wonwoo was zoning out, was he doomed? Why did he have some sadistic boss who liked driving his assistants insane? “Why hasn’t anyone reported him to HR?” He managed to ask.</p><p>They glanced at each other before looking back at Wonwoo. “Mr. Kim is the CEO’s son.”</p><p>And there it was— now it all made sense. Mr. Kim was nothing more than an entitled prick raised in decadence, fed from a silver-spoon his entire life. He must’ve always been protected by daddy dearest’s affluence, never having to face any form of consequence; he was probably used to treating ‘the help’ like that.</p><p>“We didn’t mean to scare you.” Sana assured him. Wonwoo must’ve been quiet for a long time.</p><p>“Huh? No, it’s not that,” he started. “It just, explains a lot.”</p><p>“Has he already done something? That asshole, I swear to God…” Minghao didn’t strike him as the aggressive type, but his words said otherwise.</p><p>“Please ignore him, he has a personal vendetta against Mr. Kim.” She laughed awkwardly.</p><p>“No, no, it’s fine. T-Thank you.” Wonwoo was a bit flustered.</p><p>“Well we’re rooting for you!” Sana exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood. “Please come to us if you ever need anything!”</p><p>Wonwoo had to admit, her smile was comforting. He smiled back at her and nodded.</p><p>“We just started working here a month ago, so we know how daunting it can be in the beginning.”</p><p>They were probably co-hires, he thought. It would explain why they seemed to be so close. She must’ve noticed Wonwoo’s face go blank and tried to distract him from thinking about his boss and imminent termination. They started talking about other things, like the music they liked and where they had gone to school. Wonwoo vaguely remembers them saying that they work for the marketing department, and he thinks that they exchanged phone numbers too. But Wonwoo wasn’t paying attention— he was too preoccupied thinking about Mr. Kim.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was well over 2 p.m. and Wonwoo was sitting blankly at his desk. He already messaged Soonyoung about what he’d found out, but hadn’t gotten a reply back yet. Wonwoo’s mind was twisting and turning, thinking about how his boss’ M.O. was torturing his assistants, and the fact that he didn’t have any work to do just made him overthink even more. He considered quitting like the ones before him, ending up as another win in the unhinged Mr. Kim’s book, but his father would never let him hear the end of it. They were never close after all, so disownment wasn’t off the table either. After rereading a paragraph of ‘Odysseus’ a dozen times without retaining a single word of it, he decided to put the book back in his bag. He was starting to feel restless, and he wanted a distraction— but he should’ve been more careful with what he wished for. Out of the corner of his eyes, Wonwoo saw a familiar face return; Mr. Kim was walking towards him pompously. He walked up to the desk, only to find Wonwoo glaring at his face.</p><p>He stood in front of him for a few seconds before breaking the silence. “What? Aren’t you gonna greet your superior?”</p><p>“Hello,” he said coldly. Wonwoo really wanted to sucker punch him, but decided to try to keep his cool.</p><p>“Is that really how you should greet your boss?” He asked with a smug slant to his smile.</p><p>Wonwoo scoffed. “Should you really be talking, sir?” Shit, should he have said that?</p><p>“Gotten an attitude over lunch, have we?” His eyes narrowed in amusement. No, you’re the one with an attitude, asshat. Why was he trying to rile him up? Wonwoo looked at him, trying to match his intense stare and intimidate him. Wonwoo felt his cheeks turn red when his stomach made a rumbling sound.</p><p>“Ah, I see. You haven’t eaten, is that the problem?” He laughed.</p><p>‘Yeah, no-fucking-thanks to you,’ is what he wanted to say. He didn’t have a chance to eat a lot before Sana and Minghao came, and after they started talking he just played with his food for 20 minutes. He hated how Mr. Kim kept acting like he was better than him, but even a pissed off Wonwoo knew to control his temper.</p><p>He bit his tongue. “No, sir.”</p><p>“I’d expect you to act a bit more regretful, seeing as how you barged into my office when I was changing.” Mingyu explained while picking up a paper-weight from the desk and playing with it.</p><p>“With all due respect, <em>sir</em>, you were the one who started undressing in front of me.”</p><p>“Ah, so you’re still thinking about me undressing, huh?” He said and leaned over the desk, getting closer to him. Wonwoo was starting to get warm— as much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to get to him. He hated the smug look on Mr. Kim’s face, the look that said, ‘I’m pissing you off, aren’t I?’. It’s as if he was convinced that he could get Wonwoo to quit, but quitting was the one thing he couldn’t do.</p><p>Wonwoo stood up, forcing Mingyu to move back slightly. “I don’t know what game you’re trying to play, sir, but I won’t quit this job.”</p><p>Mr. Kim was quiet, and the smug look on his face disappeared. Did he go too far? Even if his boss was acting like an asshole, it didn’t mean that Wonwoo was invincible.</p><p>Suddenly, Mr. Kim started laughing loudly and slammed the paper weight back on the desk. “So they’ve already told you all about me?” The smug smile he had was back on his face.</p><p>“W-What?” Damn it, he stuttered again.</p><p>“It’s fine, I don’t really care about all those rumors anyway.” He started leaning over the desk again— his harsh gaze forcing Wonwoo down. Wonwoo took a step back, but instead he stumbled and fell back into his chair.</p><p>Mingyu opened his mouth and raised an eyebrow. “But, it’ll be fun to see how long you’ll last.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A lil bit of spice :)</p><p>Hey!<br/>I just want to say thank you to everyone who liked this fanfic! I got so many comments and kudos I was jumping for joy :)<br/>This chapter is a little longer, and I hope you guys like it as well!<br/>I'll try to establish some sort of schedule, but I'm a full-time student so my life is lowkey a mess.<br/>Please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed it, and if you wanna be updated don't forget to bookmark!</p>
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